Liverpool form leaving Virgil van Dijk with 'mixed emotions' as truth addressed

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Virgil van Dijk admits he's been stewing on "mixed emotions" during the international break after Liverpool's heavy loss at Manchester City , which came following successive wins.

The Reds have lost seven of their last 10 outings, which has seen them slip from the top of the Premier League down to eighth. They've also seen their Carabao Cup hopes ended by Crystal Palace as Arne Slot struggles to find a winning formula.

Last season's champions have little to no margin for error if they are to retain their title, but they showed signs of improvement when they beat Aston Villa and then Real Madrid within a matter of days.

Both were seen off at Anfield and Van Dijk was encouraged by the some of the things he saw, especially when the Spanish giants were beaten. However the Dutchman knows that Liverpool need to dig deep as they face up to their current situation.

The skipper said in his programme notes : "We went into the recent international period with mixed emotions, I would say. Disappointment, for sure, at the manner in which we lost at Manchester City, but also encouragement at what came before that, with important, hard-fought and deserved victories over both Aston Villa and Real Madrid.

"We don't shy away from the truth at this club. We know that there is improvement to be found in our performance levels, and we know that the only way to find that improvement is through hard work and togetherness.

"I have said many times that I believe in the quality and the character of this squad, but we have to show it where it matters, which is out there on the field.

"We know what lies ahead over the next few months, but for now our focus must be on the next game only. We fight for the win, we fight for the three points and we go from there."

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Liverpool face Nottingham Forest , who were the first team to beat them in the Slot era, on Saturday at Anfield. They are eight points off league leaders Arsenal despite winning their opening five games.

Since losing to Crystal Palace in September they've also been beaten by the likes of Chelsea and Brentford.

The loss count at Liverpool means some have already ruled them out of the title race - and Slot admits that is not their focus right now.

"I think I've said many times already that at this moment of time we are not even thinking or talking about that," he said.

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